I'm Gonna Be Like You, Dad
Plot When Eric comes home and announces his intention to return to work with his father, Alan is suddenly very concerned. He doesn't want Eric to work for him, but Amy convinces him to do it. When Alan returns home the following day to Amy and Mr. Feeny, his tone has greatly changed. He is really excited because Eric was fantastic. He feels proud that his son did so well, and relieved that Eric won't have to go out into the real world and be disappointed. Amy and Mr. Feeny aren't as relieved as Alan is, and when Alan presents a mock up of his new sign to Eric, which reads "Matthews and Son," they're even more disheartened. Despite Eric's excitement, they say that it reveals how little faith he has in his son. Later on, Eric rings up a customer cheerfully as Alan, Rachel, Jack, Amy and Mr. Feeny look on. Rachel and Jack discuss with Alan how lucky Eric is to avoid the confusion they face upon graduating college. Alan turns to Amy and Mr. Feeny to brag, but the quickly point out that it changes nothing. He still has no faith in his son. They say the only reason Eric isn't confused like them is because he doesn't think he has any choices. Meanwhile, when a quiz in a couples' magazine says that Cory should have already died, he immediately becomes a hypochondriac. He complains that he can't feel his legs, and grows upset when Topanga refuses to play along. His visits the doctor, who questions his sex life and asks him if he's gay. He gets tested for everything, and the results come back positive for hypochondria. Cory believes hypochondria is a severe illness and placebo pills will cure him, even when Shawn explains to him what placebos are. Angela and Shawn decide to go to the movies, and Topanga almost goes with them, but decides to stay at the apartment with Cory. That night, Alan decides to talk to Eric about his future, and it turns out that he really is just as confused as they are. He fondly remembers his dream to be a weather man, and also mentions interest in being a veterinarian, because Rachel had mentioned it earlier. When his friends show up, he says he got to stay to help out his dad, but Alan encourages him to go, because he should be with his friends. Trivia *The title of this episode borrows from Harry Chapin's 1974 hit "Cat's In The Cradle"; the lyrics of the song deal with a father who is constantly too busy to make time for his son, who declares early on that "I'm gonna be like you, Dad," and by the song's end their roles reverse, and the son, now a father himself, is too busy to make time to spend with his father. *The episode starts with Eric announcing his desire to work with his father. Alan is hesitant to hire Eric, even though Amy tells him that he should. However, Eric had already worked for his father before ("Security Guy"), and his mother had actually been the one who convinced Alan to fire him the first time around. *When Eric first worked in the store back in season 4, he was unable to perform simple tasks, possessed poor money management skills and cost the store $5,000, which caused him to be fired. However, no mention of his prior employment at the store is mentioned in this episode, and this time he is shown to excel working there. *Alan says he needs to stay at the store to put out a bunch of skis, but leaves as soon as Amy shows up with baby Joshua. *Ralph Manza, who played Uncle Morrie in this episode, died three days after the episode aired. External Links Transcript Available Category:BMW Episodes Category:Season 7 Episodes Category:Season 7